This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2000-270330, filed Sep. 6, 2000; No. 2000-280883, filed Sep. 14, 2000; No. 2000-285640, filed Sep. 20, 2000; and No. 2000-285988, filed Sep. 20, 2000, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate transportation apparatus for transporting a substrate to an apparatus unit in order to inspect and measure, e.g., a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display by visual observation or using a microscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 20 is a view showing the arrangement of a semiconductor wafer outer appearance inspection apparatus. A wafer carrier 1 is formed on an outer appearance inspection apparatus frame 2. The wafer carrier 1 forms a cassette.
The wafer carrier 1 has an uninspected wafer carrier 1a and inspected wafer carrier 1b. The uninspected wafer carrier 1a stores an uninspected semiconductor wafer 3. Regarding the semiconductor wafer 3, an uninspected semiconductor wafer will be referred to as a semiconductor wafer 3a. 
A transportation robot 4 is provided on the outer appearance inspection apparatus frame 2. The transportation robot 4 has an X-movable shaft 4a and Y-movable shaft 4b. The Y-movable shaft 4b can move on the X-movable shaft 4a in the X-axis direction. A robot arm 5 is formed on the Y-movable shaft 4b and can move in the Y-axis direction. A hand 5a is provided to the robot arm 5. The hand 5a holds the semiconductor wafer 3.
A three-arm transportation apparatus 6 is provided between the transportation robot 4 and a microinspection section 9 (to be described later). The three-arm transportation apparatus 6 circularly transports the semiconductor wafer 3 among a wafer transfer position P1, macroinspection position P2, and microinspection/transfer position P3.
The three-arm transportation apparatus 6 has three transportation arms 6a, 6b, and 6c equiangularly, e.g., at every 120xc2x0, with respect to a shaft 8. The transportation arms 6a, 6b, and 6c have Y-shaped hands (with wafer chucks) 7a, 7b, and 7c, respectively.
The microinspection section 9 is provided on the outer appearance inspection apparatus frame 2. The microinspection section 9 receives the semiconductor wafer 3 held on the hand 7a, 7b, or 7c positioned at the microinspection/transfer position P3, and inspects it by using a microscope.
The microinspection section 9 can sense the image of the semiconductor wafer 3 enlarged by the microscope with a CCD camera or the like, and can observe it through eyepieces 10.
The operation will be described.
At the macroinspection position P2, macroinspection of the semiconductor wafer 3 is performed by the inspector through visual observation.
At the microinspection/transfer position P3, the semiconductor wafer 3 is transferred to the microinspection section 9. The microinspection section 9 enlarges the image of the semiconductor wafer 3 by the objective lens of the microscope and senses it with the CCD camera or the like. At the microinspection section 9, microinspection is performed by the inspector through the eyepieces 10.
When macroinspection and microinspection are ended, the three-arm transportation apparatus 6 rotates, e.g., counterclockwise on the sheet of drawing, about the shaft 8 as the center. Thus, the hand 7a is positioned at the macroinspection position P2. The hand 7b is positioned at the microinspection/transfer position P3. The hand 7c is positioned at the wafer transfer position P1.
The robot arm 5 is driven by the transportation robot 4 to move to the wafer transfer position P1 (indicated by a broken line). The robot arm 5 positions the hand 5a so as to enter the Y-shaped opening of the hand 7c, and receives an inspected semiconductor wafer 3b from the hand 7c. 
Then, the robot arm 5 is driven by the transportation robot 4 to move to a position corresponding to the inspected wafer carrier 1b, and stores the inspected semiconductor wafer 3b in the inspected wafer carrier 1b. 
Subsequently, the robot arm 5 is driven by the transportation robot 4 to move to a position corresponding to the uninspected wafer carrier 1a, and holds the uninspected semiconductor wafer 3a (second semiconductor wafer) stored in the uninspected wafer carrier 1a. 
While holding the uninspected semiconductor wafer 3a, the robot arm 5 is driven by the transportation robot 4 to move to a position corresponding to the wafer transfer position P1.
The robot arm 5 positions the hand 5a which holds the semiconductor wafer 3a so as to enter the Y-shaped opening of the hand 7c, and transfers the semiconductor wafer 3a to the transportation arm 6c. 
At the macroinspection position P2, the next semiconductor wafer 3 is macroinspected by the inspector through visual observation.
At the microinspection/transfer position P3, the next semiconductor wafer 3 is transferred to the microinspection section 9 and microinspected by the microscope.
After this, at the wafer transfer position P1, the uninspected and inspected semiconductor wafers 3a and 3b are transferred. At the macroinspection position P2, macroinspection is performed. At the microinspection/transfer position P3, transfer to the microinspection section 9 is sequentially performed.
In an inspection process at a semiconductor manufacturing factory, the apparatus layout and design specifications are changed in accordance with the line layout change and various types of specifications (types). In the above apparatus, the wafer carrier 1, transportation robot 4, three-arm transportation apparatus 6, macroinspection section, and microinspection section 9 are integrally formed on the outer appearance inspection apparatus frame 2. A change in specifications of this arrangement cannot be easily coped with.
Therefore, apparatuses with different numbers of wafer carriers 1 at different positions must be manufactured to match the individual orders in accordance with the line layout of the inspection process and various types of specifications.
In addition, the design specifications of the apparatus differ in accordance with the various types of specifications, and the number of constituent components of the respective apparatuses that are not common increases.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly versatile substrate transportation apparatus which can cope with various types of specifications by minimum design changes.
The present invention provides a substrate transportation apparatus comprising a first transportation section which extracts/stores a substrate from/in a storing container that stores the substrate, and a second transportation section which transfers the substrate with respect to the first transportation section and transfers the substrate with respect to an apparatus unit that performs a desired process for the substrate, wherein the second transportation section has a rotation arm which is circularly transported between a substrate transfer position with respect to the first transportation section and a substrate transfer position with respect to the apparatus unit, the first transportation section is separated from the second transportation section, and a transfer position with respect to the rotation arm is located within a transportation stroke range for the first transportation section with respect to two different directions such that the first transportation section can be selectively arranged with respect to the second transportation section in the two different directions.
In a substrate transportation apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the second transportation section is integrated with the apparatus unit, the transfer position with respect to the rotation arm is set at a same distance from two adjacent side surfaces of the apparatus unit, and the first transportation section can be arranged on the two adjacent side surfaces.
In a substrate transportation apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, an interval between the first transportation section and the transfer position with respect to the rotation arm is set within the transportation stroke range for the first transportation section.
In a substrate transportation apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, an alignment sensor which detects an outer peripheral edge of the substrate in order to align a central position of the substrate is arranged at the substrate transfer position of the second transportation section.
In a substrate transportation apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, an arm of the first transportation section or the arm of the second transportation section has a hand formed in a substantially L shape to draw and hold the substrate by suction, and a line that connects two suction holes formed at two edges of the substantially L-shaped hand is located outside a center of the substrate.
In a substrate transportation apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, an arm of the first transportation section and the arm of the second transportation section have each a hand formed in a substantially L shape to draw by suction and hold the substrate, the hand of the second transportation section is arranged at the substrate transfer position not to interfere with the hand of the first transportation section upon inserting the hand of the first transportation section from the two different directions, and a line that connects two suction holes formed at two edges of each of the hands is located outside a center of the substrate.
In a substrate transportation apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the first transportation section includes an articulated-type transfer robot having a plurality of connection arms, and the apparatus includes a first hand formed with a curve at a distal end of the connection arms of the transfer robot to draw by suction and hold the substrate, a second hand connected to a distal end of the rotation arm and formed in a substantially L shape with a transfer space where the first hand is to enter from the two directions, to draw and hold the substrate by suction, and a relief which avoids interference with a long side of the second hand when the first hand transfers the substrate from an insertion direction of the long side of the second hand.
The present invention provides a substrate transportation apparatus used for performing macroobservation of inspecting a defect on a substrate by visual observation and various types of inspection and measurement for the substrate, comprising: a first transportation section which extracts/stores the substrate from/in a storing container that stores the substrate, and a second transportation section which transfers the substrate with respect to the first transportation section and transfers the substrate with respect to an apparatus unit that performs a desired process for the substrate, wherein the first transportation section includes a stretchable/contractible articulated arm in which a plurality of arms are connected, and a first hand formed with a curve at a distal end of the articulated arm to draw and hold the substrate by suction, the second transportation section includes a rotating shaft which rotates around an axial direction as a center, and three transportation arms formed on the rotating shaft at equiangular intervals and each having a second hand with a substantially L shape with a transfer space where the first hand is to enter, to draw by suction and hold the substrate, the three transportation arms are rotated around the rotating shaft as a center to circularly shift among a transfer position with respect to the first transportation section, a position for macroobservation, and a transfer position with respect to the second transfer section, the first and second transportation sections are separate to be independent of each other, the first transportation section is formed with respect to the second transportation section in a first transfer direction or a second transfer direction different from the first transfer direction by substantially 90xc2x0, the apparatus unit includes various types of units including a microinspection unit which enlarges the substrate by a microscope and observes an enlarged image of the substrate, and a thickness measurement unit which measures a thickness of a film formed on the substrate, and either one of the two units is incorporated in the second transportation section.
In the substrate transportation apparatus according to the present invention with the above arrangement, the first and second transportation sections are separate to be independent of each other. Thus, the first transportation section can be arranged with respect to the second transportation section in either one of two transfer directions. Therefore, various types of specifications can be coped with minimum design changes, so the versatility is increased.